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Alumni Updates
Recent Alumni Updates
Iris Luana Salamanca
Wildlife, 2018
Iris had the opportunity to serve as a Biological Technician, Public Information Officer, Resource Advisor, Natural Resource and Education Specialist and obtained her red card, allowing her to assist on four wildfires and two prescribed burns this year alone for the Bureau of Land Management Grand Junction Field Office in Colorado. After 4 years, Iris is transferring over to the U.S. Forest Service White River, where she will continue to grow as a Natural Resource Specialist and continue assisting with wildfires in various roles.
Valerie Tepetlanco
International Studies, 2018
Valerie Tepetlanco, International Studies, 2018, has been accepted to the M.A. in Cultural Studies program at Claremont Graduate University.
Jenny Werthman
Politics, Social Science, Secondary Education, 2017, 2020
After earning her degree in Political Science and credential in Social Science for Secondary Education, Jenny has taught high school history (mostly juniors and seniors) since 2021. She is entering her third year of teaching. She lives in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and teaches in the inner city of San Bernardino for mostly at-risk youth. She loves helping kids and teaching them about the real world. She uses everything she learned in Humboldt in her classroom and is forever grateful! She is now married with two young kids!
Holly McLaughlin
Liberal Studies Elementary Education, Multiple Subject Credential, 2017
Holly McLaughlin, Liberal Studies Elementary Education, 2017, teaches fifth grade at Washington Elementary school.
Jacqueline Heinzen
Anthropology, 2017
Jacqueline Heinzen, Anthropology, 2017, received her MA in Applied Anthropology from HSU 2017. She has started work as a User Experience Researcher with Binary Defense, a cybersecurity firm based out of Hudson, Ohio. It's her first full-time job where she was hired specifically to apply her research skills as an anthropologist!
Michael Barnes
Communication, 2017
Michael Barnes ('17, Communication) claims it's been a whirlwind since he graduated from Humboldt! Since his formative years as an undergrad studying under the great minds of Joshua Frye, Maxwell Schnurer, Armeda Reitzel, Scott Payton, and Leslie Rossman (now at the University of Denver), he continued to earn a master's degree in Communication from San Diego State University. He is now working toward a Ph.D. in Communication at Ohio University, where he is studying Interpersonal and Organizational Communication from various methodological perspectives. He cannot thank the faculty at Humboldt enough for believing in him and pushing him to go beyond!
Diana Argueta
Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, 2017
Diana Argueta, Critical Race, Gender & Sexuality Studies, 2017, returned to the world of immigrant rights after many years of being away, and she loves it! She is am currently a social worker case managing two programs housing children in custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Unaccompanied Refugee Minors. She advocates for children who have no one to care for them in their country of origin or in the U.S. as they start their life over in this country and apply for political asylum.
Ariana Hendren
International Studies, 2017
After completing her degree Ariana Hendren, International Studies, 2017, earned a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate. She caught the travel bug after studying abroad in Spain with the HSU World Languages and Cultures Department. She is now teaching elementary-middle school students at an English Academy in South Korea with her boyfriend whom she met while living in Arcata. They will soon move to a new country to continue their teaching adventure.
Vanessa Vrtiak
Sociology, 2017
Vanessa Vrtiak, Sociology, 2017, recently gave a Ted Talk about her life, and would like to share it with the Humboldt State Family. "Thank you for being there for me and helping me shape the woman I am today. I'm so grateful I was able to go to a University with people that truly believe in their students and champion their success." Watch the Ted Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/vanessa_vrtiak_how_to_save_a_life?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare&fbclid=IwAR154LL1hsMJPaH4_68QAGF1gUqQveVUG8UBAD5QMamSoeuIn_TpNxws_vM
Kristian Espinoza
Psychology, 2017
Kristian Espinoza, Psychology, 2017, is happily married and has a six-month old baby. Espinoza works with marginalized communities through a program called Wrap Around and before that they worked at a group-home serving the 6-12 year old children that lived there.